aNueNue aNN-US200 Moon Bird Soprano Ukulele

999.00

The aNueNue Bird series soars above the competition. See what I did there? Don’t get in a flap, just beak-cause I’m making bad puns… This frivolity is down to the fact that in this aNN-US200 I have in my hands is an absolute gem of a ukulele. It is spectacular. (Just to be clear, I can’t type and play at the same time – I HAD it in my hands until very recently…).

Let’s start again, properly. This solid spruce top ukulele benefits from the brightness generated by that tonewood, tempered by the solid rosewood back and sides, which seem to amplify the tone and give it depth. It sounds really stunning. Name dropping here a little, James Hill told me that a soft wood like spruce or cedar, coupled with a hard wood for the back and sides, like koa or rosewood, made for the best sounding ukuleles. Well, he should know and I have to admit, it changed the way I viewed spruce. Cheap spruce is very cheap and therefore I’ve ended up playing overbright, cheap spruce topped instruments before and being unimpressed. I said to myself I wasn’t really a spruce fan. Yet exploring superior quality instruments like this aNueNue has exploded the myths I’d created for myself. I have become a spruceophile, King of Spruce, maybe even the Boss of Spruce (would that be, ahem, Spruce Springsteen?).

There I go again, sorry! Look, I know this is a serious instrument at a serious price, but the thing is, playing it makes me happy, joyous, elated and unfortunately, a bit giddy… hence the terrible jokes in this aNueNue Bird Series ukulele review. As well as rosewood binding, this uke features an interesting offset soundhole decoration that mirrors a phase of the moon, a motif further explored in a series of different fretboard markers.

The 37mm bone nut and fairly flat neck profile mean this instrument is very easy to play, with plenty of room to move without your fingers squashing together. The action is nice and the unusual flat cutaway shape allows access to the highest notes, notes which sing loudly and clearly even at the extreme end of the scale. The tone is lively, complex and bright, subtle if played subtly, loud if you give it a hard strumming. It is everything at once, everything a uke should be, fun and fine-sounding, beautiful and bold of tone.

For a truly scintillating electro soprano, choose the option with Mi-Si acoustic trio pickup - and we'll fit one for you (takes a few extra days!). Either option will come in a blue hard case.